Its your guest blogger Mike again.
Today took us from Puno to Peru's second largest city - Aerquipa. We traveled through the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reservation were the road elevation tops out at 16,108'.
The only real negative of today's route was that we had to go through Julica again. Ugh. It was marginally better, but that was probably because we braced ourselves for it. After leaving that fine town in our mirrors we climbed up and around Laguna Lagunillas. The clear blue lake was dotted with flamingos. We departed Laguna and entered into the National Reservation. Temperatures were the coldest for my portion of the trip so far (56F). The roads were fairly crowded with trucks and buses which made for a challenging ride for me as I was not comfortable with the passing zones, or lack of them. Along the plateau, the winds were blowing very strong. Ken and I must have had a 15 degree tilt on the bikes to keep our lines. This was quite tiring and taxing for me. The scenery was fantastic but in the twisties I mainly saw only the road in front of me.
We did meet a group of adventure riders from the US (mostly Pennsylvania), who were taking a guided tour of a route very similar to ours. Turns out they used the same outfit - Peru Motor Tours - that I rented my bike from.
Here in Arequipa, or the "White City," there is an abundance of Spanish colonial architecture to enjoy. The "old" part of the City is quite European and has been kept up very nicely. It really is quite beautiful. It is also nice to see a modern city with only 80% crazy drivers.
BLOG UPDATE (Ken): Best dinner since I arrived in South America. A little place called Hatunpa. Fantastic!
We are off to Colca Canyon tomorrow for some amazing riding and a date with some Condors that inhabit the lands.
Trip Summary
Today took us from Puno to Peru's second largest city - Aerquipa. We traveled through the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reservation were the road elevation tops out at 16,108'.
The only real negative of today's route was that we had to go through Julica again. Ugh. It was marginally better, but that was probably because we braced ourselves for it. After leaving that fine town in our mirrors we climbed up and around Laguna Lagunillas. The clear blue lake was dotted with flamingos. We departed Laguna and entered into the National Reservation. Temperatures were the coldest for my portion of the trip so far (56F). The roads were fairly crowded with trucks and buses which made for a challenging ride for me as I was not comfortable with the passing zones, or lack of them. Along the plateau, the winds were blowing very strong. Ken and I must have had a 15 degree tilt on the bikes to keep our lines. This was quite tiring and taxing for me. The scenery was fantastic but in the twisties I mainly saw only the road in front of me.
We did meet a group of adventure riders from the US (mostly Pennsylvania), who were taking a guided tour of a route very similar to ours. Turns out they used the same outfit - Peru Motor Tours - that I rented my bike from.
Here in Arequipa, or the "White City," there is an abundance of Spanish colonial architecture to enjoy. The "old" part of the City is quite European and has been kept up very nicely. It really is quite beautiful. It is also nice to see a modern city with only 80% crazy drivers.
BLOG UPDATE (Ken): Best dinner since I arrived in South America. A little place called Hatunpa. Fantastic!
We are off to Colca Canyon tomorrow for some amazing riding and a date with some Condors that inhabit the lands.
Trip Summary
Today's Leg: 210 miles (339 km)
Total Distance Traveled: 9,072 miles (15,078 km)
Total Borders Crossed: 10
Total Countries Visited: 11
Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued: 16/0
Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 5/1
Visits to a Holding Cell: 1
Countries Following this Blog: 28
Mike's Trip Summary
Today's Leg: 0 miles 210 miles (339 km)
Total Distance Traveled: 551 miles (888 km)
Total Borders Crossed: 1
Total Countries Visited: 1
Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued: 2/0
Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 0/0
Visits to a Holding Cell: 0
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